Swing Into Christmas

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett to Perform at New York Christmas Tree Ceremony

By:
WENN.com
Nov 12, 2014

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett are to kick off the holiday season in New York City as headliners for the 82nd annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center celebration concert.
The duo, which released jazz standards album Cheek to Cheek in September (14), will duet at the iconic Big Apple event on 3 December (14).
Also taking to the stage is Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who will sing a track from his Holiday for Swing album with Sara Bareilles.
Singers Idina Menzel, Cyndi Lauper, LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood are also slated to perform prior to the lighting of the tree outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The Fourth of July has come and gone, which means that the best time of year for movies is in full swing. From the end of the month through the New Year, theaters will be packed with some of the biggest, best, and most explosive movies of the year, thanks to the summer blockbuster and winter awards seasons growing ever closer each fall. With so many movies competing for your attention and your money, it can be difficult to keep your Oscar-baiting dramas from your superhero franchise sequels from your sentimental, romantic tearjerkers... and let's not forget about the little indies that are hitting at the end of the summer, hoping to gather enough buzz and box office steam to make it to the Golden Globes in February. In order to help you keep it all straight and plan out the rest of your year accordingly, we've rounded up every movie that the second half of 2014 has to offer and organized them by genre so that the next time you're in the mood for an action flick, a nail-biting thriller or a goofy comedy, you'll know exactly where to turn.
Universal Pictures
Action/AdventureWe might be nearing the end of Summer Superhero Movie Season (only Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are left to keep us safe) but the rest of the year still has plenty of films packed with explosions, witty banter, and dizzying fight sequences to satisfy your adventurous side.
Hercules, July 25 Lucy, July 25 Guardians of the Galaxy, August 1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, August 8 Into the Storm, August 8 The Expendables 3, August 15 Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, August 22 Step Up: All In, August 25 November Man, August 27 The Maze Runner, September 19 A Walk Among the Tombstones, September 19 The Equalizer, September 26 Left Behind, October 3 Dracula Untold, October 17 Kingsman: The Secret Service, October 24 Interstellar, November 7 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, November 21 Exodus: Gods and Kings, December 12 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, December 17 Barely Lethal, TBA
Highlights: While we can't wait for Marvel's crime-fighting band of misfits, Guardians of the Galaxy, we're equally pumped for Scarlett Johansson's action hero turn in Lucy, Christopher Nolan's mysterious Interstellar, and Colin Firth's performance as a spy mentor in Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Columbia Pictures
Comedy Whether you prefer them raunchy and in-your-face, quiet and filled with high emotional stakes, or likely to get the whole country blown up (thanks, James Franco and Seth Rogen!), 2014 has a comedy for every mood, person and sense of humor.
Sex Tape, July 18 The Fluffy Movie, July 25 Magic in the Moonlight, July 25 Wish I Was Here, July 25 What If, August 8 Let’s Be Cops, August 13 Life of Crime, August 29 This is Where I Leave You, September 19 The Interview, October 10 Birdman, October 17 St. Vincent, October 24 Dumb and Dumber To, November 14 Horrible Bosses 2, November 28 Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Christmas Untitled Cameron Crowe Project, Christmas
Highlights: Well, if it makes North Korea that angry, it's got to be good, so we're excited to see The Interview. We're also looking forward to Daniel Radcliffe's hilarious rom com debut in What If and Michael Keaton's big comeback performance in Birdman.
Focus Features
Animation and Kids’ Movies Whether you need to keep a younger sibling quiet and amused for a few hours, or you're just particularly young at heart yourself, the second half of the year is when all of the big hitters in children's entertainment and animation come out to play. Will one of them manage to finally bring Frozen's reign to an end?
Planes: Fire and Rescue, July 18 Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, August 22 Dolphin Tale 2, September 12 The Boxtrolls, September 26 The Hero of Color City, October 3 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, October 10 The Book of Life, October 17 Big Hero 6, November 7 The Penguins of Madagascar, November 26 Night At the Museum 3, December 19 Annie, December 19 Paddington, Christmas
Highlights: Everything Laika painstakingly creates is a joy to watch, so we're counting down the days to The Boxtrolls, which looks completely charming. Ditto the gorgeous and elaborate The Book of Life and the adorably action-packed Big Hero 6.
Sony Pictures Classics
Dramas Whether you're looking for a biopic, a musical, a musical biopic or just an intense, moving cinematic experience, now is the best time to check out your movie theater's more dramatic offerings. Besides, at least half of these films are likely to be in play come Oscar night, and you'll want to be on top of things before the trophies get handed out.
Get On Up, August 1 The Hundred-Foot Journey, August 8 The Giver, August 15 If I Stay, August 22 When the Game Stands Tall, August 22 One Chance, August 29 Addicted, September 5 The Drop, September 12 The Identical, September 12 Hector and the Search For Happiness, September 19 Jimi: All Is By My Side, September 26 The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, September 16 Gone Girl, October 3 The Good Lie, October 3 The Judge, October 10 Kill The Messenger, October 10 The Best of Me, October 17 Reach Me, October 24 Theory of Everything, November 7 Foxcatcher, November 14 Fury, November 14 Beyond the Lights, November 14 McFarland, November 21 The Imitation Game, November 21 Wild, December 5 Inherent Vice, December 12 Unbroken, Christmas Big Eyes, Christmas Selma, Christmas Into the Woods, Christmas A Good Marriage, TBA
Highlights: From the looks of things, Foxcatcher might be the film to give Channing Tatum his own "McConaissance," even if we never do manage to figure out a catchy nickname for it. And if you're looking for more superheroes in serious films, try The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, which tells one story from two distinct perspectives (and stars Professor X himself, James McAvoy).
Sony Pictures via Everett Collection
Indie If you're tired of blockbusters and Oscar bait, and instead want a more low-key way to spend your afternoon, this is the best season for indie movies. Comedies, dramas, romances, dramedies, action, musicals, characters that wear giant fake heads - there's something for everyone, and they're all worth checking out.
I Origins, July 18 Mood Indigo, July 18 Happy Christmas, July 25 Very Good Girls, July 25 Calvary, August 1 The Trip to Italy, August 15 The One I Love, August 15 Life After Beth, August 15 Frank, August 15 Two Night Stand, August 22 Love Is Strange, August 22 The Congress, August 29 The Skeleton Twins, September 19 Laggies, September 26 Whiplash, October 10
Highlights: There are plenty of Sundance darlings hitting theaters soon, but the most exciting one for us is probably the weirdest: Frank, which stars Michael Fassbender as a musician who wears a giant fake head at all times. A bit more normal is the zombie romantic dramedy Life After Beth, which highlights the challenges of dating the undead. Plus, there's Whiplash, which is set to remind us all just how terrifying J.K. Simmons can be.
Open Road Films
Horror As summer winds down, that means only one thing: Halloween is approaching. And what better way to celebrate ghosts, ghouls, goblins and everything that goes bump in the night than with one of the many upcoming horror movies that 2014 has to offer?
The Purge: Anarchy, July 18 Cabin Fever: Patient Zero, August 1 The Possession of Michael King, August 22 Jessabelle, August 29 Leprechaun: Origins, August 29 The Green Inferno, September Untitled New Line Horror Project, October 3 Annabelle, October 3 Ouija, October 24 Paranormal Activity 5, October 24 See No Evil 2, TBA
Highlights: This list is packed with sequels, but the one we're most anticipating is an original: Eli Roth's The Green Inferno, about a group of Amazonian explorers who are taken captive by a tribe of cannibals. If we know anything about Roth's work, it's probably going to be intense, gory and potentially a little scarring.
Magnolia Pictures
Thriller More intense than a drama, but with a better story than a horror film, thrillers are the perfect indoors-y alternative to rock climbing, roller coasters and water sports. It's all of the thrill without the risk of sunburn.
Aftermath, July 18 A Most Wanted Man, July 25 The Prince, August 22 As Above, So Below, August 29 Addicted, September 5 No Good Deed, September 12 Before I Go to Sleep, September 12 The Two Faces of January, September 26
Highlights: A Most Wanted Man was one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final films, and it promises to be an intense roller coaster of a film featuring what we're sure is a powerhouse performance from one of the greatest actors of his generation. Later in the year, there's The Two Faces of January to look forward to, which will see Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac go toe-to-toe.
Follow @hollywood_com
//
Follow @julesemm
//

Christmas may still be a month off, but when has that ever stopped the Hallmark Channel from rolling out its holiday themed movies a tad bit early? Quick answer: never! Which is why a snowy-white TV-flick starring none-other than Henry Winkler is just one of the great programs on our list this week. Here's what else you need to be watching.
ABC
Modern FamilyWhy Modern Family? Because it's still the most consistently funnyshow on network TV. And we all know how the Big Four's crop of brand spankin' new sitcoms have been faring lately. Just turns on The Crazy Ones for five minutes. A vomit bag may be required. A new episode of Modern Family airs Wednesday at 9PM ET on ABC.
JFK: Three Shots That Changed AmericaWant more JFK anniversary coverage? How could you not? Then you'll want to check out the History Channel's engrossing two-part documentary airing this Friday. Not only does it include rare and unseen footage of the Kennedy assassination, but it also repudiates claims that there was a conspiracy or government cover-up. Hope you're listening, Oliver Stone! JFK: Three Shots That Changed America will air this Friday on the History Channel. Check your local listings for times.
The Most Wonderful Time of the YearThanksgiving hasn't even arrived yet, but Christmas season is already in full swing on the Hallmark Channel. In this heartwarming gem from 2008, Henry Winkler goes to great lengths to teach his curmudgeonly sister (Brooke Burns) about the true meaning of the holiday. That's right, folks, he's leaving the Fonz jacket at home! The Most Wonderful Time of the Year airs this Wednesday at 8PM ET on the Hallmark Channel.
The SimpsonsYep, America's favorite animated family (sorry Griffins) are back at it for a record-braking 25th season. Who's still watching, you ask? Well, enough people for Matt Groening and company to score a cool $750 million after signing an immensely lucrative syndication deal with FXX last week. And with over episodes and counting, those chinless Springfieldians show no signs of slowing down. Another new episode of The Simpsons airs this Sunday at 8PM ET on Fox.
ChoppedFor 17 seasons and counting, Chopped has been pitting chefs against one another and seeing what they come up with. This week the cooks are asked to combine exotic dishes like kimchi and gefilte fish, as well as a dessert round featuring marshmallow cake and citrus water. Mmm...anyone else feeling hungry right about now? A new episode of Chopped airs this Tuesday at 7 PM ET on the Food Network.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//

Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish donated all their eldest son's presents to needy children at an orphanage after he was swamped with gifts during his first Christmas. The couple is parents to two sons, Zachary, two, and Elijah, nine months, and the Rocket Man limits the amount of gifts they receive in order to keep them grounded. He even asks friends to make donations to charity instead of buying toys for the boys.
The music legend has now revealed the idea came about during Zachary's first Christmas, when they were so overwhelmed with presents, they decided to give everything away to kids in a Ukrainian orphanage.
Sir Elton tells Britain's Event magazine, "The first Christmas we had Zachary, we walked into the sitting room and it was full, floor to ceiling, with presents... Two hours later we had barely scratched the surface and David just sat back and said, 'This is obscene. No child should have this.' We had bought him a swing for the garden. We kept that and everything else was sent to a Ukrainian orphanage. From then on, we tell friends not to give gifts, but donate money to a foundation we set up for Zachary to give other children, so he'll actually understand what it is to give.
"Of course, everywhere we go he is given presents, so he knows that word very well. But we limit them."

Sure, he was pompous, a little edgy, never one to stray from an argument, but Frasier Crane was moreover a nice guy. He was a compassionate therapist, a devoted brother and son, and a faithful patron to his regular tavern. Kelsey Grammer's verbose character sustained failed engagements and marriages, a distant son, and hordes of coworkers who often seemed to be working against him... all with a smile (well, sort of a sarcastic half-grin) and an optimistic heart. Frasier was good people. The same, however, cannot be said for the vast majority of the characters Grammer has played since the conclusion of his eponymous NBC series. The latest in a long line of titles to cast the actor in a meaner role is Transformers 4, which is now handing its central villain to Grammer.
While Grammer will always be best known as the good-hearted, big-headed Seattle-born shrink, his "type" outside of Frasier Crane seems to be exclusively baddies. Just look at everything he's done since Frasier went off the air: on television, he has played the nefarious Chicago Mayor Tom Kane in the King Lear reimagining Boss, in addition to all-purpose jagweeds Ebenezer Scrooge (in a Christmas Carol TV movie), the Angel of Death (on Medium), and Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons, of course).
On the big screen, Grammer has exemplified the same amount of scorn, with the X-Men supervillain Beast, the duplicitous President Boone in Swing Vote, and otherwise seedy and reproachable characters in Middle Men, An American Carol, and Crazy on the Outside.
So why, with two decades of kind-hearted doctoring under his belt, is Grammer so regularly approached as a villain? Is it the actor's personal life (his divorce and remarriage in 2011 were subjects of the public eye's unkempt scorn)? His politics (Grammer vows that his being a republican is what cost him his most recent Emmy)? Or perhaps the seed that was planted in Toy Story 2, when Grammer played the focal baddie Stinky Pete? Without that little plastic prospector, Grammer might never have worked his way up to a plot to take down Butterfly. But hopefully, that embittered plaything won't guide the actor's career forever. We want nice Grammer back.
Follow Michael Arbeiter on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter
More:'Transformers 4' to Shoot Partially in ChinaIMAX Chairman on What to Expect from 'Transformers 4'Michael Bay Apologizes for Apologizing for 'Armageddon'
From Our Partners:Eva Longoria Bikinis on Spring Break (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)

During the first half of this 7th Series of Doctor Who, it seemed like the Doctor's biggest battle would be against the Silence — Weeping Angels-level creepy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's The Gentlemen-esque villains who need to kill the Doctor (Matt Smith), lest he reveal his terrible secret: Doctor Who? A secret so dangerous, it would cause utter silence to fall. But now, after the tragic death of the Ponds and the introduction of Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman), the gears seem to have shifted. If the new trailer below is any indicator, the latter part of this series, which will debut on Saturday, March 30, will focus on the following question: who and what is Clara Oswald, "The Impossible Girl?" (Not to be confused with Amy Pond, "The Girl Who Waited." Why didn't Rose Tyler ever get a cool title?)
RELATED: 'Doctor Who' Gets Premiere Date, Earth-Shattering New Companion Photo
Though the action-packed teaser shows plenty of exciting adventures to come (hello, Cybermen!), the main gist is that Clara has the Doctor severely rattled. So rattled, in fact, that she may even rival Rose Tyler in the affect she has on the Time Lord. (Don't crucify me! Rose Tyler forever!) So, who is this mysterious woman, and why is she Doctor Who's version of South Park's Kenny? We have absoutely no idea, but we sure are excited to find out. Check out the posters for the upcoming episodes below, with spoiler-ish details included:
Episode 6: "The Bells of St. John"
From BBC: "The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where humanity lives in a wi-fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy."
From Me: Modern-Day London episodes have never been my favorite, and this "picking off minds" with technology angle sounds a lot like the first reboot appearance of Cybermen, the two-parter "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel" from Series 2. (The last time I found them to be truly frightening, if we're being honest.) Still, I have high hopes for Clara's first appearance — and if it is our favorite Cyberboys, let's hope for a serious revamp to up their scary ante.
Episode 7: "The Rings of Akhaten"
From BBC: "Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded."
From Me: The awesome Indiana Jones feel of this poster — plus the creepy villains — has me very amped for episode 7. Also, there's a child Queen, and everyone knows that children are terrifying.
Episode 8: “Cold War”
From BBC: "The Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!"
From Me: Admittedly, I much prefer trips to other planets and the distant future to history-based episodes, but the claustrophobic setting and alien invasion angle sounds cool, kind of like bow ties.
RELATED: 'Doctor Who' Christmas Recap: Why Hello, Clara
Episode 9: "Hide"
From BBC: "Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?"
From Me: This is my favorite of the bunch. That ghost reaching out looks like a force to be reckoned with, and the "hide" title alone is creepy. WHY must they hide? What are the secrets of this haunted mansion? For some reason, the setting has me hopeful that this might have a "The God Complex" feel to it — one of my favorite episodes of the series due to the creepiness factor.
So, what do you think of the trailer/upcoming episode synopses? Which episode looks the best to you? Are you psyched for more Clara, or are you missing the mighty Ponds? Shout out in the comments, and be sure to check back weekly for Hollywood.com's Doctor Who recaps!
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: BBC America(4)]
You Might Also Like:Topanga's Revealing Lingerie Shoot: Hello '90s! 25 Stars Before They Were Famous

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I just don't get it." Other than her signature stink face, that was the harshest critique $15 million judge Britney Spears doled out on The X Factor this season. Her doting praise for her own contestants mainly consisted of three-syllable adjectives like "beautiful," "tremendous," and, of course, "amazing." So — after the highly buzzed outsters of Spears' predecessors Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger last year, is it all that surprising that Spears' Christmas gift may have been a cruel swing of the axe?
At least, that's what US Weekly reported this morning, after a source close to Simon Cowell told them that the proven to be harsh producer wanted her out. Fox declined Hollywood.com's request for comment, but we wouldn't be too surprised if the new year brought yet another high profile search for a buzzworthy judge. (Because that's what singing shows are all about now, right?) Of course, finding a replacement for Spears wouldn't be the show's only concern — judge L.A. Reid recently announced that he was leaving to focus on his own recording artists.
So, will a new name game begin? If so, that would leave The X Factor exactly where it found itself last year: In the news, struggling to find its feet, behind Idol and The Voice in ratings, and on the hunt for two big-name judges. And that, Britney says, is not particularly amazing.
UPDATE: On Thursday evening, an X Factor spokesperson gave the following statement: "No one has discussed next years judging panel yet — any reports otherwise are complete speculation."
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: Fox]
MORE:
'X Factor': Tate Stevens Talks Album Plans, L.A. Reid Talks Successor (Rihanna?)
'X Factor' Needs Another One Direction: Why Fifth Harmony Isn't Done Just Yet
Dear Britney: Doing 'The X Factor' Is a Really Bad Idea
You Might Also Like:
Surprise! Kate Winset Marries Ned Rocknroll: Wedding Details
20 Hot (and Horrifying) TV Nude Scenes

You can’t escape the phenomenon of YOLO even if you wanted to. The highly popularized acronym, short for "You Only Live Once," is everywhere. You can find it on shirts, hats, bumper stickers, all over social media, even shouted by drunk revelers, as it has become the unfortunate motto of 2012 (one we wish would end…). You can’t even escape it when listening to the radio: Drake helped spur the phrase’s popularity in his 2011 song "The Motto," which featured Lil Wayne.
Now, it seems as if Drake thinks he actually came up with the acronym, and wants to cash in on its unfortunate popularity. The 26-year-old rapper posted this Instagram of hats with the acronym being sold, saying, “Walgreens....you gotta either chill or cut the cheque.” He then posted this Instagram of a Charlie Brown shirt branded with the term, adding, “Macy's...same goes for you.”
GALLERY: 10 Stars Who Need to Pay the DoucheJar
Drake, you need to calm down. You didn’t trademark YOLO. In fact, you weren’t even the first person to say it! The U.S. Trademark database actually shows several earlier attempts to use YOLO commercially. A company selling T-shirts, tank tops, hats, and sweatshirts filed an application in 1993 to obtain a trademark for YOLO. That filing was abandoned a year later, but other companies filed for trademarks or service marks incorporating YOLO and “You Only Live Once” for products like artificial suntanning, sportswear, and driver safety pamphlets, among others.
But the acronym – and the meaning behind it – actually has a long history before the '90s, dating all the way back to the 1700s, meaning no one alive today can claim the blame credit for it. While the exact wording changes a bit (with some incarnations employing “we” instead of “you,” or rearranging the order of the words themselves), the meaning is the same throughout history. Let’s take a look back at all the instances we could find of YOLO throughout the years:
1700s
Clarissa, the epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, was published in eight volumes between 1747 and 1749. Richardson wrote, “And it teaches me to be covetous of time; the only thing of which we can be allowably covetous; since we live but once in this world; and when gone, are gone from it for ever.” Though the wording is different, it is in the vernacular of the time, and the meaning is still the same: time is precious, so make it count.
1800s
In February of 1837, YOLO turned up in a story published in The Lady’s Magazine and Museum urging readers to behave cautiously to avoid contracting a deadly disease: “Due respect for your prayer, my worthy master; but my principle is, the further from the danger the safer. We only live once; and life itself is so burdensome, and full of care, that it cannot at all be pleasant to be carried out of this world by such a naughty and ugly conveyance as this cholera.” Once again, “we” is used instead of “you,” but the meaning is the same.
STORY: 10 Catchphrases We Never Want to Hear in 2013
In 1858, a minister in Scotland used YOLO to encourage listeners to be morally upright, and said, “We cannot live always: we can only live once. It is then the dictate not only of piety but of sound philosophy that we lay a good foundation for the time to come.” And one year later, the novel Now or Never used YOLO to encourage the opposite, because life was so short one should act boldly: “Besides, we can only live once. Now or never. The present minute is all we are sure of, and it is best to get the most out of that we can.”
1900s
While the Russian novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was originally written in the 1860s, the English translation was published in 1917. YOLO appeared in the internal dialogue of a character who was attempting to justify murder: “I only live once, I too want.”
In 1937, the film noir You Only Live Once was released, directed by Fritz Lang starring Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney.
Comedian Joe E. Lewis popularized the phrase in the '50s, when he famously opened his act by saying, “You only live once, but if you play your cards right, once is enough.” In 1965, Frank Sinatra turned 50 years old, and he quoted Lewis, saying, “I expect to swing for 50 more. You only live once and the way I live, once is enough. I stole that from Joe E. Lewis.”
So you see, Drake, you are hardly the first person to say YOLO, let alone come up with the phrase. You might have popularized the acronym with our generation, but it looks like even our grandparents were saying it back in the day! Drake's going to find himself in a tough battle if he truly pursues getting royalties from the sale of anything with YOLO on it.
Follow Sydney on Twitter @SydneyBucksbaum
[Photo credit: WENN]
More:
The 10 Weirdest Pop Culture Christmas Ornaments — GALLERY
Miley Cyrus Finds a Travel Companion in a Blow-Up Doll — PHOTO
Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus Named Most Charitable Celebs — They Donated HOW Much?!?
You Might Also Like:
20 Hottest Bikini Bodies of 2012: Kim Kardashian and More!
’The Hobbit’: Making Sense of Kili, the Hot Dwarf

You may not know Tom Kenny, but you know Tom Kenny. As the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants since 1999 and nearly 300 other acting credits including cartoons, movies, and commercials, Kenny is one of the leading voice actors working in the business. He has an energy and passion for the job — as he tells Hollywood.com, it's not a job for everyone but it's the job for him.
This holiday season, one of Kenny's long-gestating projects is finally realized in the form of the It's A SpongeBob Christmas!, a fully stop-motion Christmas special (a la the classic Rankin and Bass era cartoons) that's airing now on Nickeleodoeon and available on DVD in time for the season. Kenny's enthusiasm for voice over work, music from the '60s and '70s, and general merriment collide in the special, which comes accompanied by a truly fantastic album of the same name, featuring songs written by the actor.
We sat down with Kenny to discuss life with Spongebob for over a decade and writing songs for the special:
How does every job differ from you compared to your consist work as SpongeBob?
Tom Kenny: I approach it like a session drummer would. Or a wrecking crew guy. I identify with those guys so much, those invisibly ubiquitous guys during the '60s and '70s. Everything from film soundtracks to TV theme songs to cartoon soundtracks to Frank SInatra records to Beach Boy records. It's all the same handful of people doing it all. I think that's how my job is.
It's amazing how something you think of as a one-off thing has this timed release. Like commercials, one of those things you did years ago, suddenly is brought up again and again and again. It has to do with kids who are watching things that was just an afternoon in your life. You don't realize that's some kid's main thing. There is some kid whose mind is being blown.
I'm sure you get that at Comic-Con.
Kenny: Everyone has something. And you think, 'Really, that?' For me it's video games. Early video games, like Spyro the Dragon, people who were kids when those games were out, they're older and ... it's a really huge deal.
They bow down to you Wayne's World-style.
Kenny: Yeah, they want inside dope on the recording [laughs]. If you do the math — I did that in 1995 or 1996 — if those people were eight years old, they're in their 20s now coming up to you at Comic-Con saying, 'Dude, I got to meet Spyro, man!'
SpongeBob must get that too.
Kenny: That you expect because it's a big global phenomenon. I go to a remote corner of the world and you'll see some kid with a Spongebob t-shirt on. We were in a mountain village in Italy, way off the beaten track, and the waitress had a Spongebob t-shirt on. Doesn't even speak English. And if she does watch SpongeBob, it's not me. It's some guy using me as a template!
There are a lot of Christmas specials, but unlike the SpongeBob special, I don't recall many with great voice actors in them.
Kenny: Even as a kid when I was growing up, they used celebrities that were too old for the audience. Burl Ives, who? There are snippets of dialogue that stand out — like when Rudolph has that nasal voice when he has the black ball covering up his nose, or the dentist who wanted to be an elf. To my brother and I he had the funniest line for no reason: 'A dentist? Good grief!' And we'd slam the door. We'd do it all the time. But no, not a lot of memorable voice actors.
What's amazing to me is that you can sing in the SpongeBob voice and do so to great lengths in the Christmas special. Is that the hard part of the job?
Kenny: I do a fair amount of singing on SpongeBob and the other shows too. In fact, I wrote a lot of the songs on Spongebob, cowrote with a guy named Andy Paley. We wrote, 'Don't Be a Jerk It's Christmas' and that became the springboard of the special.
We wrote that in 2009 and just kind of handed it out as a gift to people on the show. And I remember it was just at a time when there was just this outburst of a**hole behavior: Michael VIck and his dog fighting thing, Joe Wilson screaming, and it was really grew from all that. Talking about seeds you plant and the whole Spyro thing...
Wow, so this special took years of being angry at the world to come to fruition.
Kenny: [Laughs] Not angry, just ashamed of my species. So Andy and I came up with this story line where there's an element called 'Jerktonium' and if a meteorite of jerktonium lands in your town, it turns everyone into jerks. And Plankton gets ahold of some and bakes it into fruit cakes for everybody and disseminates into an outbreak of jerktonium. A pandemic of jerkiness.
And the album... we had been trying to pitch a Christmas album for some years. Why do the Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Muppets but not SpongeBob — that's crazy. Ironically, we're able to use all those very old school, chameleon studio musicians from the '60s and '70s that I've always idolized. Corky Hale, who is a female harpist who's played with Billie Holiday and Liberace. She's played with Bjork, so she spans generations. James Burton, who was Ricky Nelson's guitarist and later Elvis in Vegas movies. Tommy Morgan who was the harmonica player on Green Acres and every legendary tv theme.
So we got the real guys who made those records sound the way they did. It's pretty cool. It's a fun labor of love. We wrote real songs. Let's do something for kids, write songs that sound like it came from 1961. Sandy's from Texas, and I love Western swing, like a Bob Wills record from 1940.
Looking ahead, I know you're doing another Spongebob movie. Have you begun work on that?
Kenny: No, but I'm excited about it. Not even close though — I know very little about it, but I know the show is on a break form awhile. We just wrapped on some of the episodes before the movie, because the writers get repurposed on to the movie. So it's a break. But we've renegotiated so I don't think the show is ending.
Speaking of sequels, you worked with Michael Bay on the Transformers movies — do you know if you'll be back for the fourth one?
Kenny: [Laughs] I haven't heard but I'm sending him some nice muffins....
Does Bay come in and direct the voice actors?
Kenny: Think about it for a minute: of course. Who is the bigger control freak than Michael Bay? He wouldn't turn that over to anyone. I get the feeling he likes that aspect of it. He likes being in with the voiceover actors. Sometimes his relationships with the on-screen actors aren't... the greatest [laughs]. And I think he likes to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. He likes voice actors. He hangs out with the crew. He goes to bat for his people. He also won't take diva attitudes from anyone. And since voice actors are one step on the ladder above people who set up the Tilt-a-Whirl at the carnival, there's no diva behavior.
Check local listings for It's a SpongeBob Christmas!, running through the holidays on Nickelodeon and pick up the album available now.
[Photo Credit: Nickelodeon]
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
More:
What Your Favorite Christmas Movie Says About You
Comic-Con 2012: 'Legend of Korra' Panel Reveals Book 2: Spirit Details
'Ninja Turtles' Star Mae Whitman Talks April O'Neil, '90s Nick Love, and 'Korra' Hopes
You Might Also Like:
20 Hottest Bikini Bodies of 2012: Megan Fox and More!
Honey Boo Boo vs. Kardashians: An Xmas Card Showdown

Times were hard.
The stock market had crashed. The national unemployment rate hovered around 25%. Banks foreclosed on countless homes and farms. A series of large-scale environmental disasters had disrupted the economic livelihood of whole regions. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the movie fantasies Americans turned to in the 1930s represented an escapist contrast to the hardship facing much of the United States. And there was no greater embodiment of that silver-screen escapism than Fred Astaire. With his top hat, white tie, tails, and cane, Astaire waltzed into moviegoers hearts with the high thread-count, “Putting on the Ritz” charm of movies like Top Hat and Swing Time. A decade later Astaire had given way to low-key crooner Bing Crosby, who was the top box office draw every year from 1944-48 and remains the third highest movie-ticket seller of all time, behind only Clark Gable and John Wayne. The audiences that opened up their pocket books en masse to see Astaire and Crosby thought nothing of the fact that they would spontaneously “break into song” in their films. It was just a convention of the genre, and, more important, an expression of cinematic joy.
In 2012, however, the movie musical is far from its former place as the most popular of Hollywood film genres. The attention given Les Misérables, opening on Christmas Day, is the exception that proves the rule. Today, audiences even complain about the difficulty they have suspending disbelief at the very act of movie characters “breaking into song.” And if something as fundamental as breaking into song is now a dealbreaker, no wonder any given movie year features only one or two musicals, as opposed to the dozens Hollywood used to produce annually. “The reality is that people need to be coaxed toward a musical today,” says Alan Menken, eight-time Oscar winner and composer of Disney’s blockbuster animated musicals from The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast to Tangled. “They need to understand why it’s a musical. ‘Do I have to hear people sing their thoughts and feelings? Oh, no!’ And then they end up loving it.”
GALLERY: 14 Jaw-Dropping Actor Transformations
That kind of coaxing never used to be necessary at the height of the movie musical in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Is it a cultural shift that explains this change? Ana Perlstein, a musical fan and recent dance major graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, thinks so. “We’ve become too jaded to accept the kind of escapist musicals that the ‘30s provided,” Perlstein says. “People really think, ‘No, you can’t just magically break into song and dance and everything will be okay. The world doesn’t work that way.'”
Then why do we think that when superheroes put on capes, masks, and Spandex “everything will be okay”? Why have boy wizards, hobbits, and Jedi become easier to believe in than people breaking into song? Audiences’ capacity for fantasy remains as strong as ever, but the types of fantasies for which they’re willing to suspend disbelief has changed. The respective evolutions of both the movie musical and the sci-fi/fantasy spectacle explains this phenomenon. As different as both genres are, both have been subject to the advent of “high concept” storytelling. And that pretty much explains exactly why successful movie musicals are few and far between, while sci-fi/fantasy flicks are routinely blockbusters.
There was a time when musicals, on Broadway and in movies, were only about people breaking into song. In the ‘20s, New York’s Ziegfeld Follies never had stories. They were glorified vaudeville acts with an emphasis on sex and spectacle, one-off musical showcases punctuated by two-bit comedy sketches. Early movie musicals like Best Picture Oscar winner The Broadway Melody followed a similar pattern. That all began to change with the debut in 1927 of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s Showboat, often considered the first truly story-driven musical, in which the songs advance the narrative and illuminate the characters. It also became the major template for the “integrated musicals” that Hollywood eventually found to be most conducive to its storytelling, musicals that didn’t have spectacle for spectacle’s sake but deployed their songs organically within their narratives. As much of a show-stopper as Agnes DeMille’s dream-sequence ballet is in Oklahoma! it doesn’t stop the show. It reveals fundamental truths about the central character, her thoughts, feelings, fears, and dreams. By narrativizing the musical, people embraced the genre more than ever. They suddenly had characters they could identify with, even if those characters broke out into song, not just chorus lines and showgirls. In a superstar like Fred Astaire the Depression Era audience found a perfectly-tailored embodiment of their own champagne-fizzy fantasies—and lifestyle aspirations.
GALLERY: Wildest Makeup Makeovers Ever
This model of musical moviemaking remained more or less in place until the early 1970s, though the “meta musical,” musicals that self-consciously displayed and embraced the artifice of the genre also became popular: movies like Singin’ In the Rain and The Band Wagon that tweaked the genre’s conventions while still expressing the greatest admiration for them. Musicals would become more and more self-aware throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s until they, like sci-fi/fantasy around the same time, veered toward “high concept.” “Most successful musicals today need to attach themselves to something bigger, a concept that will make people feel immediately connected to it,” says Menken, who himself blurred the parameters of the musical and sci-fi/fantasy genres with his score for Little Shop of Horrors, an ‘80s musical based on a ‘60s Roger Corman cheapie about human-eating plants. “Years ago, Howard Ashman [Menken’s lyricist on Little Shop] believed you should be able to say about a musical that ‘This is the blank musical.’ Little Shop is ‘the monster musical.’ Dreamgirls is the ‘Motown girl-group musical.’ People like the form to be ruffled up and reinvented, to be something familiar. But with a twist. And if they understand the concept, if they really get it, the ‘breaking into song barrier’ isn’t that daunting after all. It just depends how strong your storytelling is.”